PowerPoint Presentation

READING 1; GENESIS 1-1 2:2

Priestly Tradition God is the main actor1.Announcement: And God said 2.Command: Let there be 3.Report: And it was so 4.Evaluation: And God saw that it was good 5.Temporal framework: It was evening, it was morning Day 1LightDay 2Sky, separating the upper and lower watersDay 3Earth and vegetationDay 4Heavenly lightsDay 5Birds and fishDay 6Land animals and humanity Ancient Middle East Time begins with Sunset

Sun & Moon were deities

Adam = Hebrew plural word for humanityOne of many creation accountsGod is creatorOrder out of chaos

High point: last animal is man

Unlike others, made in Gods imageMan & woman together

7th day dynamic day of YHWH

Reading 2: Genesis 22:1-18 Elohist Tradition

Abrahams great faith

Human sacrifice in other culturesAbraham & Sarah

Pattern: God choosesProne to failureGod remains faithful

Abraham transformed

READING 3: EXODUS 14:15-15:1

God as Divine Warrior

Yahwist Tradition: God as angel God as column of cloud

Priestly Tradition: Moses stretches out his hand Common story: good over evilIsrael fear: fickle nature of trustGod prevailsGod is revealed

Order of natureWater brings forth lifeWater is destructive

Hebrew people are witnessSimilar to resurrection witness

READING 4: ISAIAH 54:5-14 2nd Isaiah: people in exile

1st theme: Zion is the wife of Yahweh abandoned wife (Hosea) welcomed back 2nd theme: the waters of the Noah flood Covenant promise

Imagery of sentinels that see the Lord

Message of pre-exile prophets continuedGod confronts Israel over disobedienceInvites back to right relationshipProper order of thingsResult: glorious future

READING 5: ISAIAH 55:1-11

3rd Isaiah: Invitation to the feast (Wisdom)

Restored people to assume witness role of David

New Messiah = King Cyrus of PersiaHoly festival: everything is freeAll are invited

New role as witness (not dominate)

Old Testament theology maintainedGod is just & righteousGod is also merciful

READING 6: BARUCH 3:9-15; 32-4:4

Setting = poem

Wisdom = Fear of the LordObedience to the will of Yahweh

Praise of Wisdom = Praise of Yahweh

Wisdom is presonified (as in other passages)

Wisdom = Law of the PentateuchBaruch scribe of JeremiahWritten much later (post exile)Not part of Jewish Canon (or protestant Bible)

Message: learn what knowledge isUnderstand the course of lifeExperience

Wisdom will come to show you the wayFollowing the Law

READING 7: EXEKIEL 36:16-17A, 18-29

Cause of exile = defilement of a women

Need for preservation of holiness will end exile

God will accomplish this by: Cleansing the people of their sins & idols Give them a new heart & spirit Animate that heart with the divine spiritNew life vision of new temple

Common belief in societies:Act leads to consequence

Theme of Ezekiel:Israel has been continually unfaithfulGod responds by bringing Israel backGod is creator & ruler of all